Getting there and away

Bus

Many travellers book a combined minibus/ferry transfer to Ko Bulon Lae from Krabi, Trang or Hat Yai, all of which can be reached by long-distance bus from Bangkok and many other places in Thailand. Otherwise, Pakbara can only be reached by songthaew from the nearby town of La-Ngu, itself accessed by hourly public minibuses and regular buses from Trang, Hat Yai and Satun. See the Pakbara transport section for details.

Boat

In high season (roughly November to April), a daily speedboat departs Pakbara for Ko Bulon at 12:30, costs 400 baht per person, and takes around 30 minutes. Tickets can be purchased from any travel agent near the pier. From Bulon, the boat returns to Pakbara at 09:30 and most resorts can arrange tickets.

No public boats run to Bulon in low season. A private longtail will cost 1,500 baht one-way.

From November 1 to March 31, speedboats connect Ko Bulon directly to a number of other islands. Tickets can be booked through any resort; whoever sells you the ticket will need to call ahead and tell the boat to stop here, so it's best to give them prior notice.

Heading north, the speedboats pick up on Bulon at 10:00 and reach Ko Kradan at 10:45 for 900 baht; Ko Muk at 11:00 for 900 baht; Ko Ngai at 11:30 for 1,050 baht; and Ko Lanta at 12:00 for 1,600 baht. Passengers heading to Ko Phi Phi, Phuket, Ko Jum and Krabi can make a transfer on Lanta.

Heading south, the speedboats pick up on Bulon at 12:30 and reach Ko Lipe at 13:30 for 600 baht.

As of the 2014-15 season, the Tigerline ferries were no longer stopping at Ko Bulon.

Longtail boats come out to meet all speedboats when they arrive at Bulon and transfer passengers to the main beach on the northeast coast for 50 baht per head. This is an important source of income for the Chao Lae boatmen and is not negotiable.